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First timers in Paris. 3 days. Help

My husband and I will be in Paris mid-May for the first time. We have three days. Any recommendations for reasonably priced hotels near Eiffel Tower, gardens, cafes? More important where is a safe place to stay? We heard left bank? What's with the number system in the areas? We don't mind walking and LOVE to eat and drink good food and wine. Any suggestions??

(You're going to get a LOT of responses and suggestions; here's mine): Residence Lord Byron; just off the Champs and near the Etoile. Splendid 3-star hotel ideally located for anything you want including a metro stop. Check it out at this web site--all the info you'll need including pictures, a map and prices: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75008byron2.htm You're welcome!

All of Paris is quite safe, the Left Bank no more so than the Right. I prefer the Left Bank because it is generally quieter and more residential, though perfectly accessible to all the main attractions. We usually stay at the Hôtel Duquesne, between the Tour Eiffel and les Invalides - a nice residential/commercial area with a genuine Paris neighborhood feel to it. Here's the website: http://www.hotelbook.com/static/welcome_27845.html#top There are plenty of good restaurants in the vicinity: Bistro de Papa, Le Florimond, la Fontaine de Mars, Le Croque au Sel, l'Auberge Bressane to name a few. By "number system" I assume you mean the arrondissements? Paris is divided into districts, or wards, with each having a number. The area I've recommended is the 7me arrondissement.

Boy! Was I wrong! I thought you'd have 50 responses by now. What could be more cheap fun than proffering advice to first-timers.

Those in the know just don't dare to follow-up any response of StCirq's with one of their own. She knows it all and will admonish everyone else.

For first timers I think anamericaninparis.com is a good site for an overview of fundamentals regarding Paris

I'm not afraid of St Cirq-her advice seems sound and I do have a reccomendation for first time Paris visitors as I was one myself a mere year ago-do give in to the tourist in you and go on the night boat trip on the Seine (so much better if ther is a full moon, but do it anyway), and do go and enjoy a classical music concert in one of the large cathedrals whose acoustics show off this genre the way it was meant to be heard. Eat at Polidor and use the washroom facilities-I'll say no more.

It's awfully late to be booking for mid-May, so you will want to find something real soon. Try www.paris-hotel.com (I don't think "search by date" is fully functional yet; they've just redesigned the entire website). Click on the Tour Eiffel/Les Invalides for a terrific selection of moderately priced hotels in that neighborhood (which we love), along with online "brochures" and e-mail links. If Hotel Muguet is available for your dates, I highly recommend it. There are fabulous restaurants in every direction. It's equi-distant from two metro stations, and half a dozen or more bus routes have stops close by. L'Opentour (see www.ratp.fr) has a stop just down the street as well.

Unless you have a hotel now, my guess is that you will take what you can. That location will determine much of your trip. I do not have a list of speciric sites for you to visit. I think you must determine that for yourself. I am slightly removed from being a Paris first timer, but I recall my first visit. I was unprepared. Did not know my way around. Just sort of went there at the tail end of a 6 week vagabond journey around Europe. Result: big blur. The second time, I was ready, almost. Fortunately, I never caught the "see it all" bug which compelled me to rush from place to place ticking off attractions on a check list. My top priorities before arriving were identifying locations and tracing transportation routes. I bought some excellent maps and studied the transportation routes that connected the attractions I wanted to visit. By knowing where I wanted to go and how to get there, I was able to forego frustration and move with efficiency to my objectives. Most maps of Paris have Metro routes in color and the bus routes can be found on the web. Second, decide which aspects of Paris interest you the most. Only you really know what you like. Fill in the blank: When I get to Paris I really want to take in _____. If it is music, then line up an opera or two and/or concerts. Then fit the remainder of your time around those performances. If it is art that attracts you the most, decide when you will visit the major art museums. If is is historical museums, then Paris is full of them. One word of caution, planning a meaningful visit to the Louvre is a formidable undertaking. Deciding what you want to see there is mandatory if you are to avoid wandering aimlessly around the endless corridors. If you want a sampling of some of all of the city, you still need to select carefully. Perhaps one of the overview tours would be the most effective use of your time. Most of the guide books list the major objectives. All you need to do is read and select. But don't plan too much. Allow time to eat and enjoy life. Paris is full of surprises that easily lure you away from the most carefully laid plans. So take the adventure of the day as it comes. The best advice I got was this: See it in such a way that you will remember it. Go fast to "see it all" and it becomes a meaningless blur.

Why saty near the Eiffel Tower when you can stay in the 6th?? St.Germain is the greatest area, full of energy, art galleries and good restaurants...Hotel de Siene is terrific, right on Rue de Seine, and in the art gallery district...plus, walking distance to the Seine and Notre Dame...you could also stay at Hotel Montparnasse, which is reviewed in Fodor's, and actuylly not bad for $100 a night...and a wonderful english-speaking owner, who offers a delicious French breakfast and lots of travel advice!! Plus the hotel is conveniently close to the Metro. But for my money and time I would choose Hotel de Seine or anywhere near there!!! There is also a quaint restaurant on Rue de Seine called Cosi..great sandwiches on homemade panini and an even better dessert called the apple grumble! Have a wonderful time...try to hit the Picasso Museum and the Pompidou...

Bob Brown's post is an excellent one for first-timers. We werent sufficiently prepared for our initial visit and - despite doing tons of research and planning for our second, from which we've just returned, we still ended up a little disappointed in what we accomplished. However, here is one more hotel for you to consider the Hotel Ares, which is within walking distance, and sight of the E. Tower. We stayed there last week for five nites and were quite pleased. We booked it online through www.hotelboulevard.com The rate was just under $100 a nite, the front desk staff is pleasant and English fluent. The hotel breakfast is 47 ff; we never tried it, preferring to go to a brasserie around the corner for cafe crenes and baguette (for a total of 60ff for both of us). We liked the neighborhood, less frantic than the 5th and 6th where we'd stayed before. Although the hotel's address in the 15th makes it seem far out, it is just on the border with the 7th. It's tucked on a side street, so is very quiet, yet handy to brasseries, a laundromat (which we didn't discover til the last day - and in three days, you won't want to be spending any time doing laundry anyway), a cash machine in either direction and - best of all, we thought - it's about a minute and a half from a metro that offers three lines. There's also a fun street market on Sunday and Wednesday mornings, and a Monoprix food hall with magnificent offerings. One thing we noticed this time, staying in this location, was that the presence of English language menus (posted outside) seemed much more prevalent in the 5th and 6th. In our hopping about this time, thru just about every arrondisement but those, we encountered very few. And food seemed quite a bit higher than three years ago. So I have no restaurant suggestions to offer. My understanding is that the Pompidou offers very contemporary art, so if that's not your thing, I wouldn't bother. We loved the Musee d'Orsay, which offers a tremendous selection of Impressionist art. Go Early! We got in about 1 p.m. and it wasn't too bad, but by 3-4 p.m., every gallery was thronged with humanity. It's no way to appreciate such magnificent art. Also, if impressionist is what you enjoy, consider the Marmonet (sp? someone correct me please, if needed). It's a little out of the way, towards the Bois de Bologne (more sp problems - I haven't yet unpacked my map), but very small and wonderful, with a room ful of breathtaking Monets, amonth other things. From there, a walk to the Trocadero provides a great vista of the tower from across the Seine. If I can help with any other questions, feel free to e-m me at [email protected] Enjoy!

PJ, You might want to go to the bookstore and buy a great little book called: Hotels of Character and Charm in Paris. This book will give you lots of ideas on where to stay in Paris. A website that is for booking reservations for hotels in Paris is hotelboulevard.com. You'll find a lot of feedback on this site. Paris is divided into arrondisements or districts that are numbered. They spiral out from the center of Paris. The center of Paris is the area surrounding Notre Dame Cathedral. Almost everywhere in Paris is safe. You might not want to stay near the area near Montmartre (18th I believe), it can be a little seedy at night (Pigalle). The Latin quarter is always a favorite as well as St. Germaine area.

Book your hotels now! I'm leaving on Friday, and we booked our hotels back in January and (I hate to break this to you, but) we are staying in our 14th choice hotel. (Thank heaven Paris is full of wonderful hotels) By waiting this long (or just not having a lot of lead time) you're limiting your choices. Go girl go!

PJ: You might try searching for "Rue Cler". You may not be stayingon the Rue Cler, but it is near the Eiffel and there has been many discussions about hotels, restaurants, etc. in the context thereof.

Dear Pat, I would heartily endorse Tracy's recommendation of the Hotel de Seine. A super location, English speaking and helpful staff with some fantastic restaurants nearby.The Musee d'Orsay is a must but go early. If you do go to the Louvre don't miss Napoleons appartements. Have a good trip.

For Arjay. It is the Musee Marmottan to which you refer. It can be reached by going to the La Muette metro station. Then there is a short walk through a park to the museum. After seeing what it has to offer, I recommend it as a first choice destination only to lovers of Monet.